Horse Eye Diseases

Horse eye health is very important. A horse that does not have full vision capacity can be a danger to himself and humans and horses around him. A horse can have a disease of the eye as well as a disease of the eyelid.

  1. Conjunctivitis

    • Conjunctivitis is an inflammatory disease of the eye, the eyelids and the mucus membrane surrounding the eyeball. White strands of pus can be seen between the eyelids and on the white of the horse's eye, the horse's eye will show an abnormal amount of tearing as well.

    Chronic Uveitis

    • Chronic uveitis is a common horse eye problem, according to Animal Eye Care, LLC. If left untreated, this disease can cause blindness. Increased tearing, swelling, squinting and cloudiness of the eye are common symptoms of this disease. A small or misshapen pupil can also be a symptom.

    Recurrent Ophthalmia

    • Recurrent ophthalmia is an inflammatory infection. It tends to recur, and according to Horsecentric.com, the disease usually ends in blindness. Swelling is the most common symptom of this disease.

    Tearing of the Eye

    • External inflammation of the horse's eye may cause excessive tearing. However this also may be a sign that there is an infection or defect in the horse's lacrimal apparatus, which affects the progression of tears.

    Other Diseases

    • There are also congenital and nervous diseases of the horse's eye. Congenital diseases include abnormally small openings between the eyelids, closure of eyelids and division of the eyelid. Nervous diseases include eyelid spasms and eyelid drooping.